Fluid barrier curtain system

Abstract

A fluid barrier curtain at an aperture in a wall within a duct, as at the entrance to a furnace, is disclosed that maintains separation of fluids on opposite sides of said barrier curtain while permitting passage of objects therethrough. The barrier curtain comprises aperture zone defining means, means for shaping a fluid flow into a laminar sheet pattern and forcing said fluid across said aperture zone, receiving means having thin-edged vanes located opposite said fluid flow shaping means for receiving the resulting flow, so as to remain laminar, and a fluid supply to said fluid flow shaping means.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for maintaining separation between the gases within a furnace and the atmosphere outside while allowing objects to be passed in to said furnace and out of said furnace, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of spaced-apart fluid barrier curtain units located adjacent the entrance of said furnace and a plurality of such units corresponding to those fluid barrier curtain units adjacent the entrance of the furnace, located adjacent the exit of the furnace for defining entrance and exit zones through which objects pass into and out of said furnace; and   duct means between the said barrier curtain units of each plurality thereof for providing a passage into and a passage out of the furnace, each said barrier curtain unit   having fluid flow shaping means at one boundary of each zone for directing a supplied fluid flow in a concentrated laminar sheet completely across each entry and exit zone and toward an opposite boundary thereof;   receiving means located opposite said fluid flow shaping means for receiving the resulting flow and receiving fluids entrained therewith, and inducing the fluids arriving in its vicinity to be collected together and caused to emerge from said zone as a coherent fluid effluent; and   means for supplying the aforesaid fluid flow to each said fluid flow shaping means.   
     
     
       2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein each said fluid flow shaping means comprises an elongated narrow opening in a first wall of said zone, said opening connected to means for leading the fluid through a constricted thin flow space wherein the fluid is made to flow in a substantially laminar flow approaching said zone. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein each said receiving means comprises an opening in a second wall of said zone opposite the opening in said first wall,   said opening being situated opposite the means for supplying fluid and directing the fluid;   a box-like housing extending from said opening;   a plurality of spaced-apart vanes attached at their opposite sides to opposite inner walls of said housing and having thin edges substantially coplanar with said second wall, said vanes being substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of objects through said zone and serving to separate the fluid flowing out of the zone into laminar-flow segments; and   fluid exit means extending from a region of said box-like housing opposite its junction with said second wall.   
     
     
       4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein each said receiving means comprises means for receiving said fluid between the vanes in a middle region of said box-like housing and for receiving induced flow of other fluids in regions nearer the walls and farther from said middle region of the box-like housing.